Springfield daily republic. [volume] (Springfield, O. [Ohio]) 1887-1888, 1887-08-25
COLLEGE BRED JOURNALISTS.
some Thoughts by u Country Newspaper
Man Working In New York.


some Thoughts by a Country Newspaper
Man Working q" New York.
Special Correspondence
NEw YORK, Aug. 23-"If one cIrcu-
lates much among the people. he will
be surprised" said u countrynlan, who is
now a writer on the New York press,
10 me day or two ago. when he comes 10
tabulate the returns, a; the practical uuauIm-
i.y with which men of all Glasses and from ali
standpoints, have arrived a, the cunclu,ion
that, since the DAYS OF Horace Greeley and
Henry J. Raymond, the New York papers
have produced but very limited numb,r Of
journalists.
This. Of COURSE" he went on, rs not the
opinion Of Printing House square. II one can
believe the assertions and Sscverations Of the
New York daiiies. they are the greatest in
stitutions on the face of the globe. This is
echoed and re-echoei SO constantly that the
very dir about the square on which old Ben
Franklin stands, monument To simple. plain
common sense. Is saturated with it. The
shibboleth Of the newspaper fraternity was
most tersely expressed. in the slang that col
lese journalists love 50 well. in The Herald's
We are the stuff" Of last spring.
But the general pubic think there Is
altogether too much stuffing about the great
dailiss, that a vast amount Of space is occu-
pied with subjects in which they feel
not the slightest interest. 1t is one
Of the odd things about newspapers
that there is nothing in them except
what interests the reader That which he re-
calls in his mind after reading is what he
credits the paper with having in l.. The type
service may cover All acre Of white paper,
but all that counts as nothing; indeed, it sg-
gravates the offense, tor II increases the labor
OF wadinS through to find what one wants.
Wsding with the eyes is wearisome work. for
they have only crows feet with which TO do
it, and these multiply with Use and get i'll
each others way.
"a number Of the New York dailies make
money, but not one OF them occupies the field
it is entitled TO- Vast sums OF money are ex-
pended, but very large proportion Of it is
wasted, while al the while bright. tender.
sweet little items are lying ready to 10
plucked ct tritling cost.
"Over in Jersey. the target for chestnut
jokes from time iInmemorial, they sell cham
pagne. II is only plain Jersey cider. but
nice label is put on it and away it goes as
choice champagne. A great deal Of literary
matter is bought by the New York papers i'll
the same way. II it has big labei it goes.
In this way some big named writers have
backed up their literary carts and dunlred
the sweepings Of their brains upon an unof-
Tending public. Some people will spcni all
their money with the bootblack and none
with the shoemaker What the public want
is not let polish, perhaps, but more soul GER
tainly.
"The amount Of money that has been worse
than wasted in trying to make journalists out
Of men simply because they were college
bred is fabulous. Very many college men
fail in the attempt to become rst class news
paper men, and It is not at all surprising that
this u 30 either. The country writer, edu-
Gated at a district school or All academy. and
on ti,s kighwaysin in elbow touch Of his fellows.
AID sewing an apprenticeship in rolling for
tie hald pres. reading proof, making up the
form, listening to the talk of his neighbors
about the paper. wherein he has failed and
whereip he has succeeded, gradually but
surely becomes saturated with intuitive per
ccptions Of what the public want. He keeps
himself one of the people. and bis plainness
and good hunior catches news like nolas>es
catches flies, and when it appears in the
papers il catches the public.
-The college man comes from a different
course Of training. All the tendencies of his
oAege NE nave peeh 10 remove MN from
the public and keep him at q distance from
it. His egotism is developed, and i, acts ike
. powerful jack screw to lift him, III his own
far above the masses. The very
fact that an item comes from one OF the
people Is apt to condemn it in his eyes. When
he gets on paper he feels that he must get
his ideas from some source Tar above the
masses EApsessioh Is everything, suo-
stance no'hihg, IN his eyes College bred
college graduates on Inc Ne" hork dai!ies
'ha' Aho" 'erStnihg 'ha' can oe known
ABOUT troSs 1901 without becoming frogs
themselves lucy nave searched HI creation
anu al speculation. Il the emu OF winch they
na'e come 70 know 30 much about fross
loot that they nave come 70 believe the peo-
PIE are interested IN ho.n'hg else nen 'ney
get Oh q newspaper s'an they are iilled with
tne 'dea .hn' 'oe great Puo.c IL si'''fis ON inc
FENCES, IKE country hoys, peefing INTO the
Instance ior Tue nis' Aen' o' the CIRCUS eie-
hant strunk' and that TINS pubic Is dangling
Is !ess iihpaieiitis "hie u eiohsates It's
Ars to catch the flst mumble OF the latest |
feveiation as 10 the construction AMI cnpahii-
lhes OF The frog toot- but the truth IS the
pubic doht care continental about frogs
Fooe.
one OF the iro2 loot Journalists contin-
aso my friend, once got hold OF n certain
coentry paper, ~ doesn't matter what ms
~ns, ou' ne Hsnai,Nn Us as'e'f
n. ,,;.,.. ,h.r.,,, ., 80 ,.'I,,.,,,s,
Icpstb They grew t,ll they filed the tirs, |
pace. and then flowed over on 10 the fourth |
rage. week after week. The patrons of the
paIsr read along for a time, until at last
tbey STONED their pspers in sheer self de- |
r.nse and let old Frogs Foo, go flipp;,v f,op-
njno along a, his own s1p.ps.